# quality of ashton pipes



## hyper_dermic (Dec 17, 2006)

So i snagged an Estate Ashton Pebble grain Sandblast XXX.
Its a straight Dublin/billiard with a fantastic sandblast.
Everyone makes a big fuss over Dunhill, but WOW.. this pipe is a dream to smoke . i just finished my 2nd bowl with it, and both have been cool and dry.. the sandblast finish seems to cool the bowl down a bit more, and feels great in the hand.

the XXX size is a large pipe, and the quality is just excellent. alot of attention to detail on this pipe.

Now to be fair, i have not smoked a Dunhill yet, but if you are in the market for an english pipe, i would give serious consideration to Ashton.
The estate market seems to be more reasonable for Ashton pipes so they are not as expensive as Dunhill and im VERY impressed with both the smoking quality, and the sandblast finish on this pipe. 

The estate market seems to be more reasonable for Ashton pipes


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## Bruce (Dec 31, 1999)

I was talking to Mike Lindner about his competition. He held Ashtons in high regard and stated that they are a good value for the money.


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## hyper_dermic (Dec 17, 2006)

Bruce said:


> I was talking to Mike Lindner about his competition. He held Ashtons in high regard and stated that they are a good value for the money.


I was pleasntly suprised at how nice this pipe is.. I snagged it because the price was reasonable and i really liked the sandblast.
the pictures just dont do it justice, you really need to hold it to apprecieate the sandblast.
then i smoked it and was blown away...

Theres some Rim charring on the pipe, but due to the dark stain its hard to see.
I spent a while trying to rub it off with a towel and water, but its being stubborn.
I just dont get how people do this to their pipes, are they lighting them with a propane torch or something?? or is it a build up of soot from lack of cleaning?

Oh well, the charring brings down the resale value which means a better deal for me  p

-hyp


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## Hoplophile (Feb 2, 2007)

I have 4 Ashtons... each is a great smoker. Not the cheapest pipes, but I consider them to be great value for the money.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

I own a single Ashton and I really dislike it. The damn thing bled stain over my hands the first 9 bowls or so


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## hyper_dermic (Dec 17, 2006)

carbonbased_al said:


> I own a single Ashton and I really dislike it. The damn thing bled stain over my hands the first 9 bowls or so


wow.. you sure its an "ashton" and not a "ahston" 
kinda like "sony" and the "suny" knock-offs 

-hyp


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## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

carbonbased_al said:


> I own a single Ashton and I really dislike it. The damn thing bled stain over my hands the first 9 bowls or so


ooo... that is not good... you should send it to me for proper disposal!

But seriously - I heard that Bill went through a bad spell a while back and the quality suffered(I even heard a few pipes reached our shores without oil curing...). You may have gotten unlucky.

My experience is that Ashtons do great with Latakia Blends, or Burley Blends.


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## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

and Hyper - that is a fantastic ringgrain on that blast!!! Just awesome!


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Nooner said:


> But seriously - I heard that Bill went through a bad spell a while back and the quality suffered(I even heard a few pipes reached our shores without oil curing...). You may have gotten unlucky.


Your probably right. It wasn't a cheap pipe at all i've never had any of my other pipes bleed on me like that. Took about 8-9 bowls before it stopped. The whole experience left a bad impression with me though, doubt i'll pick up another one.


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## Kayak_Rat (Nov 28, 2005)

carbonbased_al said:


> Your probably right. It wasn't a cheap pipe at all i've never had any of my other pipes bleed on me like that. Took about *8-9 bowls before it stopped*. The whole experience left a bad impression with me though, doubt i'll pick up another one.


Dammit man!!!! Your supposed to let them rest between bowls. No wnder it bled. Sheesh, newbs.


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## bonggoy (Mar 9, 2006)

Kayak_Rat said:


> Dammit man!!!! Your supposed to let them rest between bowls. No wnder it bled. Sheesh, newbs.


Lolz ...


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Kayak_Rat said:


> Dammit man!!!! Your supposed to let them rest between bowls. No wnder it bled. Sheesh, newbs.


:r Wiseash p


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## floydp (Jun 6, 2004)

carbonbased_al said:


> I own a single Ashton and I really dislike it. The damn thing bled stain over my hands the first 9 bowls or so


Must of been an asston, did yens smell your fingers after Joe? And was the stain brown?

Hyp that is a nice looking pipe, congrats.


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## Hydrated (Aug 9, 2006)

floydp said:


> Must of been an asston, did yens smell your fingers after Joe? And was the stain brown?


OMG! :r :r :r


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## Hoplophile (Feb 2, 2007)

floydp said:


> Must of been an asston, did yens smell your fingers after Joe? And was the stain brown?


ASSTON...:r :r :r


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## hyper_dermic (Dec 17, 2006)

Thanks guys, im a big fan of sandblasts now!
you still have the up and down straight grain, plus you get the ring-grain as well
its like getting double the grain to oggle at!!

all the blasted ashtons i was looking at had really nice grain... i guess they pride theselves on nice grain blasts...

-hyp


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## Hoplophile (Feb 2, 2007)

hyper_dermic said:


> Thanks guys, im a big fan of sandblasts now!
> you still have the up and down straight grain, plus you get the ring-grain as well
> its like getting double the grain to oggle at!!
> 
> ...


Yup... best sandblasts of all right now, IMHO.


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